Therefore, a future that only Snow knows is unnecessary. She will share both joy and sorrow. No matter what difficult challenges arise, she will face them with Elios, and even before unavoidable misfortunes, she will still be with Elios. Snow knows that nothing, not even death, can separate them.

In every future she had seen until now, the two of them were together until the end. Now an unseen future will unfold, but they will still be together. That alone will never change.

This new future they would create together was better than all the memorized futures. So she kissed Elios first.

As she collapsed onto the bed with Elios pushing her, she embraced him more tightly.

‘I’m back.’

‘I’m back, Elios.’

Kissing Elios, Snow finally felt that she had truly returned to this land.

♣ ♣ ♣

In His Former Majesty’s enormous mansion, there was one peculiar room.

Judging by the size of the door, the location, and the space it occupied, it was clearly the best room in the mansion. However, it was a room that absolutely no one was allowed to enter—not the gardeners, the cooks, or even the maids and servants.

Only two people had the key to that room.

One was, of course, His Former Majesty.

The other was a middle-aged red-haired midwife.

She was nominally a maid of this mansion but didn’t do any housework. However, with His Former Majesty’s special consideration, she could freely come and go from the mansion. Whenever she came to the mansion, she would immediately unlock that room and enter. No one except the midwife and His Former Majesty knew what was inside.

His Former Majesty spent most of his time alone in that room. Everyone who worked at the mansion had wondered at least once what might be in there, but their curiosity was never enough to defy His Former Majesty’s order not to enter.

On the day His Imperial Majesty visited His Former Majesty, the latter entered that room. And he stayed inside much longer than usual.

He didn’t come out even when it was time for dinner. This happened occasionally, and in such cases, the servants were instructed not to disturb His Former Majesty until he came out on his own. However, when it became time for all the servants to return home and there was still no sign of His Former Majesty emerging, they began to worry.

Typically, servants would reside in the mansion where they worked, but this mansion was unusual in that regard too. Except for a few guards who protected the mansion, the staff had to return home at night. Then in the morning, they would arrive at the mansion on time to start their work.

It was now time for the cook to leave as well. His Former Majesty’s food always had to be fresh and newly prepared, but that would be impossible once the cooks left. The servants found themselves in quite a predicament.

At that moment, the red-haired midwife appeared—the only one who could freely enter and exit the mansion day or night. The servants’ expressions brightened. She would be able to open that door and enter where His Former Majesty was.

The servants explained the situation to the midwife, Arianne. She sighed. It wouldn’t be the first time His Former Majesty had skipped several meals while staying by Snow’s side. She thought he had gotten better since coming here, but it seemed to be starting again.

The cook prepared a full meal for His Former Majesty on a wheeled tray and gave it to Arianne. She pushed it and entered the locked room.

About five minutes later, Arianne came running breathlessly to the cook who was preparing to leave.

“The, the meal. The food. Could I have some more?”

“Was it not enough for His Majesty?”

“It seems a bit insufficient.”

Her uncharacteristically flustered and bewildered appearance was puzzling. However, the cook provided more food without any particular suspicion. Arianne took it and hurried back to the room.

♣ ♣ ♣

Elios had been with Snow all afternoon. There wasn’t much to say between them. Elios tried to explain what had happened in the meantime, but each time his throat tightened.

Snow already knew everything that had happened through the lake, so she didn’t need him to say anything. Still, when Elios brought something up, she listened quietly without interrupting. She simply enjoyed seeing him speak and talk to her.

With the two of them together, even the silence felt full. When their conversation paused, they just remained quietly like that. The time spent looking into each other’s eyes was precious.

Snow didn’t tell Elios anything. She couldn’t tell him where she had been or who she had been with. Those were the rules as long as she remained “Snow.” Elios didn’t ask Snow anything about her silence.

He still couldn’t quite believe it. He feared that if he made a mistake, Snow might return to her previous deeply sleeping state.

Arianne came to the room long after the sun had set.

Her hands holding the tray dropped limply.

Snow, who had been sitting on Elios’s lap, jumped up. But she immediately staggered and was about to fall when Elios quickly caught her and pulled her into his arms. Her body, moving again after four years, was still quite weak.

Snow took small, slow steps with Elios’s support. She reached out and placed her palm on Arianne’s cheek.

“Arianne, you’re still beautiful.”

Those were her first words. Arianne covered Snow’s hand on her cheek with her own.

“Ah, oh my goodness.”

Arianne touched Snow’s cheek, stroked her shoulders, and placed her hand on her forehead. She was warm and had body heat. She was neither a wax doll nor some kind of magic. She was truly a living person.

“Is this not a dream? Is it really you, Snow?”

Arianne asked again for confirmation. Snow nodded.

“Dear God.”

The former priestess who had left the order called upon God. It was so typical of Arianne that Snow let out a small laugh. She was unbelievably happy. It felt so familiar and comfortable that it didn’t seem like they had been apart for a very long time.

Now she was completely relaxed. Although it was an unfamiliar place for Snow who had just awakened, it felt like her home. It was filled with close people, a cozy space, and the smell of delicious food. Things she couldn’t experience in the Garden of Beginnings.

‘Ah, food.’

The delicious-looking food caught her eye. Snow’s stomach growled loudly without giving her a chance to stop it.

She was quite embarrassed to make such a sound at such an important moment. Snow tried to act as if no sound had been made. However, Elios let out a small laugh, and Arianne… immediately shouted that she would bring more food and ran outside before Snow could stop her.

“Oh dear, I should have realized you haven’t eaten anything for four years. My mistake.”

Elios said somewhat mischievously. Snow’s face turned red, and she didn’t know what to do. Elios watched her quietly and then lightly kissed her lips.

“No, El!”

Her already flushed face turned even redder.

“I won’t be able to do this once Arianne returns.”

“You don’t seem like Elios. Elios wasn’t this slick…”

Snow grumbled timidly. Elios burst into clear laughter again. It seemed like whatever words came from her mouth would make him happy.

Despite her words, Snow liked the brightly smiling Elios now. The dark atmosphere that surrounded him when she first embraced him had largely disappeared. Elios had already returned to being that proactive and kind prince she had met the night before her coming-of-age ceremony.

Arianne returned quickly. She came in pushing another wheeled tray loaded with food. Elios pretended nothing had happened. Snow was dumbfounded.

But being dumbfounded was one thing, and being hungry was another, so she quickly picked up her utensils and started eating.

Unlike Elios, who couldn’t continue speaking because he was choked up, Arianne had too many things to say. She wiped her tears with her sleeve as she watched Snow eating well. Even while sobbing, she said everything she wanted to say.

“You heartless person. Do you know how we’ve lived all this time? Falling asleep like that… thinking we might never be able to talk together like this again, sob.”

Unable to finish her words, Arianne burst into tears again. Snow stopped chewing. She felt like crying too. On such a happy day, one should smile instead of crying. But she couldn’t ask Arianne to smile. She knew how she felt.

Instead, she swallowed what she was eating and hugged Arianne. The sound of crying grew louder. Elios hadn’t touched the food at all and was just warmly watching Snow’s actions.

“Do you know, Snow? I’m no longer a priestess. Being there constantly reminded me of you, and I couldn’t bear it, so I left the order. But I couldn’t forget the feeling, the memory of first holding you, so I became a midwife who delivers babies. Do you know? Do you?”

Despite her somewhat reproachful tone, Snow listened quietly. Even if Arianne hated her, she had no right to say anything about it.

“But, but still,” Arianne said, shedding tears and m*cus all over Snow’s clothes.

“I’m glad you woke up. Thank you. Really…”

“Yes. I’m sorry I’m late.”

“Don’t do dangerous things without saying anything anymore. Don’t suddenly go far away, and don’t get sick as you please. Do you understand?”

Arianne said sharply. Getting sick isn’t something I can control. Snow was about to add that but decided against it. Instead, she answered:

“Where would I go when Arianne is here?”

“No. I can’t trust your words anymore. How can I trust someone who lied even using Amir’s name? I hate you. But I love you. Thank you. Thank you, Snow.”